CEPI, WHO urge researchers, countries to prepare for next pandemic

The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) have called on researchers and governments to prepare for the next pandemic.

They emphasised the importance of expanding research to encompass entire families of pathogens that can infect humans–regardless of their perceived pandemic risk, as well as focusing on individual pathogens. The approach proposes using prototype pathogens as guides or pathfinders to develop the knowledge base for entire pathogen families.

In a report issued at the Global Pandemic Preparedness Summit 2024, WHO urged a broader-based approach by researchers and countries. This approach aims to create broadly applicable knowledge, tools and countermeasures that can be rapidly adapted to emerging threats. This strategy also aims to speed up surveillance and research to understand how pathogens transmit and infect humans and how the immune system responds to them.

The report authors likened its recommendation to imagining scientists as individuals searching for lost keys on a street (the next pandemic pathogen). The area illuminated by the streetlight represents well-studied pathogens with known pandemic potential, adding that by researching prototype pathogens, we can expand the lighted area, gaining knowledge and understanding of pathogen families that might currently be in the dark.

“The dark spaces in this metaphor include many regions of the world, particularly resource-scarce settings with high biodiversity, which are still under-monitored and understudied. These places might harbour novel pathogens, but lack the infrastructure and resources to conduct comprehensive research”.

The CEO, CEPI, Dr Richard Hatchett, observed that the WHO’s scientific framework will help steer and coordinate research into entire pathogen families, a strategy that aims to bolster the world’s ability to swiftly respond to unforeseen variants, emerging pathogens, zoonotic spillover, and unknown threats referred to as pathogen X.

The prioritisation work underpinning the report involved over 200 scientists from more than 50 countries, who evaluated the science and evidence on 28 virus families and one core group of bacteria, encompassing 1652 pathogens. The epidemic and pandemic risk was determined by considering available information on transmission patterns, virulence, and availability of diagnostic tests, vaccines, and treatments.

WHO Director-General, Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus, said: “History teaches us that the next pandemic is a matter of when, not if. It also teaches us the importance of science and political resolve in blunting its impact. We need that same combination of science and political resolve to come together as we prepare for the next pandemic.”

Tedros explained that advancing knowledge of the many pathogens is a global project requiring the participation of scientists from every country, adding that WHO is engaging research institutions across the world to establish a Collaborative Open Research Consortium (CORC) for each pathogen family, with a WHO Collaborating Centre acting as the research hub for each family.

These CORCs will involve researchers, developers, funders, regulators, trial experts and others, to promote greater research collaboration and equitable participation, particularly from places where the pathogens are known to or highly likely to circulate.